The automotive industry is pouring huge amounts of money into electrification, with many brands committing to an all-electric future. In some regions, upcoming environmental targets will not be met without an electric fleet. With the pressure on to shift to battery power, nobody wants to hear that this technology is inherently unsafe.
Battery fires in hybrid and electric vehicles have attracted plenty of headline space, with huge recalls and safety probes by government bodies. Fires in EVs are nothing to dismiss lightly. They burn hotter than ICE fires and can cause serious damage. Once they start, there is little that can be done. As one expert told Automotive World: “Once a battery pack is on fire, that’s it. You just need to exit the vehicle and watch it burn.”
But are EVs at any greater risk for fire than traditional ICE models? So far, the statistics don’t point to that conclusion. This month we take a deep dive into what’s been going on with battery safety and where that technology could be headed in the future.
In this issue:
- EV battery recalls: more smoke than fire?
- Motional case study: how to build a robotaxi in less than a year
- Industry 4.0 innovation needed with shift from crisis management to innovation
- Decarbonising road freight demands more than zero-emission powertrains
- Talent shortage poses EV battery manufacturing questions
- How important is charging infrastructure for freight decarbonisation?
- Elon Musk talks China, EV demand, AVs and future investments
- Generative design could revolutionise lightweighting developments
- Lightweighting’s role is evolving in the EV age
- Emotions in motion: customer tracking tech drives sales success
- Swind’s powertrain conversion challenges e-mobility perceptions
- Simulation can help debunk EV myths
- Hefty investment co-opetition at heart of Volvo Group electrification push
- Can Europe’s aerospace capital reinvent itself as a future mobility hub?
